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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: club · bank · mark · trunk · pitch · stick · ground · cap

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. ground — a position
  3. club — for golf
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. bank — for money
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. cap — a lid
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. ground — the earth
  13. club — for dancing
  14. bank — of a river
  15. club — a group
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. mark — a trace
  19. cap — of ice
  20. pitch — completely
  21. cap — a hat
  22. mark — a grade
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. ground — crushed

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com